I admit that the USBP series looks kinda… bland. It’s text and line drawings; not a whole lot can be done to jazz that up. Especially since I have no head for graphics design whatsoever apart from layout diagrams.

Still, one reader sent me a mockup of a revised cover of USBP #18:

Things are moved around a little bit, but the obvious change is the addition of color. The suggestion was also made to consider color-coding each title in the USXP series. Just off the top of my head, I came up with:

Bombers: Olive Drab

Spacecraft: Black

Launch Vehicles: Blue on bottom, transitioning to black at the top

Fighters: slightly bluish gray (like the F-15 or F-22)

Transports: ??

VTOL: ??

The USBP#18 cover was re-done to reflect this, thusly:

Thoughts? Is this more appealing?How about color-coding… good idea or not? And if so, what colors?

Just brought Raedthinn home from the vet. He is, it seems, All Better… but that came at a substantial cost. In fact, two days at the vet cost more than a months work on USFP01 and USVP01 brought in. Behold:

So… time for another sale. For the next day or two or three, I’m running another Downloadable Stuff Sale. This applies to all APR’s and articles, USxPs, Air & Space Drawings & Documents,ANED01. As per usual… make your purchase using the Paypal buttons, and I’ll refund the sales difference.

Up to $50: 10% off

From $50.01 to $75: 15% off

More than $75: 20% off

UPDATE: Sale has ended as of 2/24/2016

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And as always, feel free to toss something into the Tip Jar if’n yer of a mind to:
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This set of illustrations took distressingly long to come together, a lot of that time being research. Issue 4 of US Spacecraft Projects will, as previously promised, be all about “landers,” an admittedly somewhat vague descriptor. Still a fair bit of work to do, but at least the basics are all in place.

It dawns on me that today is a holiday of some note. It also dawns on me that I have bills to pay. So, until midnight-ish (mountain time), I’m running a sale on all US Aerospace Projects and Aerospace Projects Review downloadable issues. Still can’t run a convenient Paypal “coupon” or any such thing, so as with previous sales, you buy something and I’ll refund you the difference.

So, for the duration of the sale, get 20% off all APR and USXP orders of $10 or more. And get 25% off for all orders over $100.

Whenever a blog post links to my blog, a “pingback notification” is sent to my blog dashboard. I’ve just glanced at these, haven’t given them much thought. For the most part they seem to be just parroting the verbiage from the War is Boring piece. But with one change: “Have Sting” has become “Have Sling.” A “T” became an “L.”

In September, the Aerospace Project Reviews Blog published some fascinating diagrams depicting “Have Sling,” which aerospace historian Scott Lowther described as “[a] General Electric design for a gigantic orbital railgun.” Have Sling was never built, of course.

UNITED STATE protection coordinators did at one time think about constructing a huge Fatality Star-like gun in space as component of the “Celebrity Wars” rocket protection program, as Warisboring’s Steve Weintz advised us this week in the middle of the hullaballoo of the position of The Pressure Awakens.

In September, the Aerospace Job Reviews Blog site released some interesting representations portraying “Have Sling,” which aerospace chronicler Scott Lowther…

… the styles explain a space tool the dimension of the International Space Terminal, each Lowther.

Buh?

So now when people try to research orbital railguns, there’s every chance that they will be presented with the fallacious designation “Have Sling.”

I just did a Google search on “railgun” and “Have Sling.” It spat back 741 results. “Railgun” and “Have Sting” only produced 321 results. The lie traveled around the world while the truth was still putting on its boots. And entertainingly, in doing some Googling for this post, I found this blog post. It is illustrated in part by “Do NOT try this at home: schematics for the orbital railgun . (Image courtesy up-ship.com.)” I found this illustration amusing for two reasons… firstly, when you say “Image courtesy whoever,” generally you’ve asked whoever for permission to republish. I usually don’t mind people reposting the images I create, but I wasn’t asked here, just sayin.’ More entertainingly, the diagrams of the “orbital railgun” are in fact my diagrams for the 10-meter USAF Orion. Which ain’t a railgun.

Raedthinn has suffered an injury requiring surgery tomorrow (managed to break his jaw – I think on the basement stairs – and it needs to be wired together). This has turned a “blah” Sunday into a rather dark time.

This won’t be cheap. So, if you’ve wanted to buy all the US Aerospace Projects publications, here’s your shot: all 18 Bomber Projects, all four Transport Projects, all three Spacecraft Projects, all two Launch Vehicle Projects. Normally $115, but until I say otherwise, lets say… $75. Slightly more than 1/3 off. Or if you just want to help with the Raedthinn Restoration, click on the “Tip Jar” and help till your significant other hurts you.

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UPDATE: Raedthinn is back; sale has ended.

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Raedthinn, like most cats, seemed to take his damage in stride. I saw him several times this morning, looking perfectly normal and content, even though his jaw must’ve been broken; I’m guessing he must’ve bit down on something this AM while I was out getting some grub and shoved the broken bit of jaw out of place. But even so, when I came home about noon, he was laying calmly on the bed and just gave me a look like “Sup.” I saw the tooth, checked him out, promptly freaked, called the emergency vet and dashed off.

I suggested to the vet that if he could be patched up so the tooth stayed like that, Raedthinn would look the utter badass. Sadly, the tooth is still firmly attached to a bit of jaw… a bit of jaw that has busted off and need to be put back in place. It appears his lower mandible is in three distinct pieces just now. How *exactly* Raedthinn accomplished this I’ve no good idea other than late last night he went bugnuts and dashed up the basement stairs, banging into everything on the way. I don’t know if the broken jaw is a result of the mad dash, or the mad dash was a result of the broken jaw.

US Bomber Projects #16: The B-52 Evolution Special

Boeing Model 444 A: A late war turboprop heavy bomber
Boeing Model 461: An early postwar turboprop heavy bomber
Boeing Model 462: A large six-turboprop ancestor of the B-52
Boeing Model 462-5: A six-turboprop B-52 ancestor
Boeing Model 464-17: 1946 four-turboprop strategic bomber, a step toward the B-52
Boeing Model 464-18: a reduced-size version of the 464-17 turboprop strategic bomber
Boeing Model 464-25: a modification of the 464-17 turboprop bomber with slightly swept wings, among other changes
Boeing Model 464-27: a slightly-swept turboprop B-52 progenitor
Boeing Model 464-33-0: A turboprop B-52 predecessor
Boeing Model 464-34-3: A turboprop B-52 predecessor
Boeing Model 464-40: The first all-jet-powered design in the quest for the B-52
Boeing Model 464-40: The first all-jet-powered design in the quest for the B-52
Boeing Model 464-046: A six-engined B-52 predecessor
Boeing Model 464-49: The penultimate major design in the development of the B-52
Fairchild M-121:A highly unconventional canard-biplane
Convair B-60: A swept-wing turboprop-powered derivative of the B-36
Douglas Model 1211-J: An elegant turboprop alternative to the B-52
With additional diagrams of the B-47, XB-52 and B-52B

USBP#16 can be purchased for downloading for the low, low price of $6.

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US Spacecraft Projects #03

Northrop ST-38 Space Trainer: a rocket-powered T-38 for trips to space
“Have Sting:” A General Electric design for a gigantic orbital railgun
JPL Thousand Astronomical Unit probe: A spacecraft into interstellar space
Integrated Manned Interplanetary Spacecraft: A Boeing concept for a giant spacecraft to Mars and Venus
Convair Inflatable Spacecraft: an early spaceplane concept
One Man Space Station: A 1960 McDonnell concept for a tiny space station
Astroplane: A lightweight aircraft for the exploration of Mars
Reactor-In-Flight Test: A Lockheed nuclear-powered stage for the Saturn V

USSP#03 can be purchased for downloading for the low, low price of $5.

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